A late-night argument outside a home on Jacksonville's Westside ended with a man shot in the leg early Sunday, after investigators say a woman's current boyfriend and her ex-husband got into a scuffle that turned deadly serious in seconds. The victim, a man in his late 40s, was found with a gunshot wound to his upper left thigh near 103rd Street and Old Middleburg Road. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening, and he was listed in stable condition.
According to the WJXT News4JAX, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officers were called around 9:32 p.m. to the 103rd Street address for a report of a person shot. Investigators said the confrontation began as a verbal argument between the woman's current boyfriend and her ex-husband before the two men had a brief scuffle. The ex-husband then walked to his vehicle, retrieved a firearm, and shot the boyfriend, according to the same report.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue transported the victim to a local hospital. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown-colored SUV, traveling in an unknown direction, and remains at large as of Monday morning.
Who Police Are Looking For
JSO detectives are searching for the suspected shooter, described as a man in his mid-40s, standing roughly 5-foot-11 to 6 feet tall and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. Robbery and Violent Crime detectives are following up on leads, canvassing the area for surveillance video and continuing to interview witnesses, while crime scene detectives process the scene for evidence.
Despite the shooting, JSO reported there is no ongoing threat to the community and believes the incident is isolated. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 904-630-0500 or by email at [email protected]. Tipsters can also reach First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS, which works with JSO to offer cash rewards of up to $3,000 for information leading to an arrest in violent crime cases, according to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Open Data.
Another Flashpoint on a Familiar Corridor
This is far from the first violent call along the 103rd Street corridor this summer. On July 27, four people were shot outside a residence on nearby Susie Street, leaving a 57-year-old woman dead and three men wounded, as reported by Action News Jax. Just two weeks before that, on July 12, a man showed up at a 103rd Street gas station with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his arm following an unconfirmed shooting near a nearby apartment complex, a case Hoodline previously covered.
JSO's own crime mapping data has long flagged the 103rd Street corridor as a primary hotspot for violent and property crime dispatches, according to News4JAX. Domestic disputes escalating into gunfire have also cropped up elsewhere in the city this summer; a similar case on Old Kings Road South on July 18 ended with a woman shooting her boyfriend in the leg, inflicting non-life-threatening injuries. Just days before that, four males were wounded in two connected late-night shootings along Ortega Woods Drive and Ortega Park Boulevard on the broader Westside.
What Charges Could Look Like
If the ex-husband is caught and charged, the legal exposure would be severe. Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony in Florida, carrying up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and as much as $10,000 in fines, according to attorneys at Hussein & Webber, PL. But because a firearm was discharged during the altercation, Florida's 10-20-Life statute would likely apply, imposing a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, and up to 25 years to life if a court finds the gunshot inflicted great bodily harm, per the statute published on Online Sunshine.
Citywide, Jacksonville has actually seen a decline in fatal violence this year, with JSO data showing 40 total homicides through mid-2026, putting the city on pace for one of its lowest annual totals in recent years. Still, non-fatal shootings tell a different story on the ground. Statistical reports from earlier this year put Jacksonville's violent crime rate at 12.43 per 1,000 residents, giving local residents roughly a 1-in-80 chance of experiencing violent crime compared to 1-in-386 statewide, according to the Gates Law Firm.
For now, the exact identity and whereabouts of the ex-husband remain unknown, and it is unclear whether the SUV used to flee the scene has been identified or whether any domestic violence protective order previously existed between the parties involved. JSO's Robbery and Violent Crime detectives are continuing to work the case as the search for the shooter goes on.
